Texas Jerky Run

Texas is well known for its cowboys. These tough men were out on the range driving cattle and building an industry that Texas is still well known for. Since cowboys were nomadic in nature, they needed a snack that preserved well that was easy to carry with them. With easy access to beef, jerky was the perfect snack to make!

I'll usually visit meat shops on a one off basis and get jerky. Every once and a while, I'll even drive 100+ miles to get jerky. Prior to this particular trip, I had stopped by Robertson's in Salado and got some jerky. After I had posted it on Facebook, Steve from L & R Meat Market in Belton had reached out to me and suggested I visit his meat shop.

I put L & R Meat Market on my list of places to visit and thought I'd visit sometime in the future. Then I saw this post on Facebook!

Willie Joe's jerky display in wooden house-shaped holder at Wag-A-Bag convenience store, showing multiple varieties of Texas-made beef jerky in clear plastic bags

I didn't know it was National Jerky Month! That weekend, Victoria was planning to go to a bachelorette party so I was going to sit at home by myself. What fun is that? Instantly I thought it was the perfect time to take a road trip! Central Texas has a lot of great meat shops. I could hit up each of those meat shops and get some jerky. This would be like the trip I took to Thunder Bay, Ontario solely to try their version of the beef stick, the pepperette.

I thought about my list and scratched together a sort of itinerary. I'd start at Wag-A-Bag in Round Rock and make a little loop around Central Texas. I'd then head over to Belton and go to L & R Meat Market.

I've been to Green's Sausage House in the past. Avery Green reached out to me last year about Green's and I found their food to be great. She commented on the Robertson's blog entry that they make jerky and I should give it a try. Green's didn't let me down the first time and Victoria and I have been talking ever since to get back there, so of course they'd be part of this road trip itinerary.

After Green's, would be Thorndale Meat Market. This is a place Victoria and I always pass on US-79 going to Bryan and want to stop, but we haven't. To complete the circle back to Austin, I found the Taylor Meat Market would be a good place to stop. I'd then conclude my trip at Wag-A-Bag.

I mapped it out and it looked something like this.

Google Maps route showing 2 hour 23 minute road trip loop through Central Texas visiting Wag-A-Bag, Taylor Meat Company, Thorndale Meat Market, Green's Sausage House, and LR Meat Market & Sausage

Seeing this whole trip was only about two-and-a-half hours of driving, I could easily do it in a Saturday morning. The plan was to get up early and hit the road. Now I was thinking, I'm leaving Austin out of the fun. I mean I do live in Austin. I searched around for meat shops that sold jerky. I actually had to make a few phone calls, but I found Hudson Meats had jerky.

My current job allows me to work from home and I got to kind of set my own hours. I have pushed the brunt of my hours at the beginning of the week for the sole purpose of being able to take road trips come Friday. I only work four hours on Friday and am done by 1PM.

After getting done with work I fought Austin traffic to South Congress. This is one of those “trendy” areas where a lot of people refer to it as “SoCo.”

Colorful SoCo postcard-style mural on South Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas, featuring illustrated Austin skyline scenes with text Legendary Memories and Since 1880 Urban street scene on South Congress Avenue showing pedestrians, parked vehicles, utility pole with mounted security camera, and commercial buildings on sunny day

At one time, South Congress wasn't trendy at all. It was very seedy and a place that you didn't want to go after dark (or even at all). With that, Hudson Meats has stood the test of time and holds true to its roots since 1969.

Hudson Meat Market sign reading Austin, TX - Since 1999, Hudson Meat Market & Deer Processing with red lettering against blue sky and red umbrellas visible below

This visit netted me a wide variety of jerky. I got everything from beef to turkey to ostrich!

Assorted pieces of dark beef jerky from Hudson Meat Market spread on wooden butcher block cutting board with Hudson-branded paper bag

Victoria was already gone for the bachelorette party so that jerky was my supper. I eventually went to bed and woke up around 7 or so and hit the road. My first stop was Wag-A-Bag.

Exterior of Wag-A-Bag convenience store with prominent signage and bone logo on red metal building facade

I went inside and lo-and-behold was a stand with jerky that looked just like the picture on Facebook!

Interior view of Willie Joe's jerky display stand at Wag-A-Bag showing multiple hanging packages of various jerky flavors in clear bags with yellow labels

I grabbed that and an energy drink. I had jerky for dinner so why not have it for breakfast? I got in the car and started eating the jerky along the way.

Package of Willie Joe's Beef Jerky from Gonzales, Texas, showing dark strips of jerky visible through clear plastic packaging with yellow label Close-up of single piece of Willie Joe's beef jerky held in hand inside vehicle, showing texture and marbling of the meat

The Willie Joe's Jerky had a nice pepper and smoke taste to it. It was tough and you worked a bit to rip it with your teeth like good jerky should be.

My next destination was Belton. I was flying down the interstate and it was a bit windy out.

Highway driving view showing open Texas interstate with dramatic cloudy sky and rural landscape on both sides Highway scene with large American flag flying prominently against cloudy sky with water tower visible in distance

I was soon at L & R Meat Market in Belton!

Exterior of Texas meat market with tan stone facade, red metal roof, covered outdoor seating area, and customer parking lot

This stop netted me some beef and pork jerky (you can read my review here).

Two slices of beef jerky on aluminum foil, showing contrasting darker and lighter colored pieces with visible seasoning

I was on the road to Green's. This meant going through Temple and getting off the interstate.

Overcast rural Texas road with threatening storm clouds overhead, trees lining both sides, and fence visible along roadside

Just because I was off the interstate, didn't mean I couldn't go interstate speeds (Remember this is Texas)…

Empty two-lane Texas highway with metal guardrail, dense tree coverage on both sides, and dark storm clouds gathering

...Until some person thought it would be appropriate to do 15 under the speed limit and I couldn't pass them.

Rural Texas highway with truck ahead on road, flat agricultural fields on either side, and dramatic cloudy sky above Vehicle dashboard display showing trip computer with 165.2 miles traveled, 39.4 MPG average, and 654,696 total odometer miles

Luckily Green's wasn't too far away and I got there fast enough. My next challenge was finding a parking spot!

Parking lot view of rural Texas meat market with grain silos visible in background and multiple customer vehicles parked Green's Sausage House roadside sign featuring cartoon pig illustration with business name in green lettering against white background

It was literally 9:15am and the place was Grand Central Station! I had to circle around the parking lot to find a spot. I guess that's a testament to how good they are!

Parking lot view of small Texas town meat market with pickup trucks and customers gathering under cloudy skies

I know Green's had updated their dining room and I intended to take a bunch of new pictures and write another blog entry with the updated the pictures. It was so crowded that I didn't want to get in anyone's way. I got my jerky and some green salsa for Victoria and got out of the way.

Interior of Green's Sausage House showing extensive retail space with hundreds of jarred products lining white shelving and customers browsing meat cases Close-up of Green's brand jarred products showing varieties including Hot Green Salsa, Hot Chow Chow, Mild Chow Chow, and Pickled Okra with red dots on gold lids Hand holding jar of Green's Hot Green Salsa in store aisle with refrigerated meat cases and milk bottles visible in background Display of Green's beef jerky varieties laid out on stainless steel counter showing multiple packages with Ready to Eat labels View through white doorframe into Green's Sausage House dining area showing customers seated at counter and tables with blue neon OPEN sign

I didn't want to monopolize the parking spot for too long so I quickly opened up the jerky and gave it a try.

Package of Green's beef jerky Ready to Eat in vacuum-sealed clear plastic bag resting on black and red vehicle seat Close-up of single piece of Green's beef jerky held in hand showing dark, seasoned texture against black and red car seat

The jerky was thick cut and had a medium smoke flavor to it. The black pepper gave it a nice bite and it was a bit chewy. I continued eating it as I drove down the road. Now here's the fun part. I was now headed to Thorndale and I was going to see some real back roads.

I first turned down a farm-to-market road.

Straight rural Texas two-lane highway stretching to horizon through flat farmland with scattered trees and partly cloudy sky

I then decided to really go into the boonies and turn down a county road. I wasn't disappointed with with the scenery and what I found!

Unpaved gravel county road through dense Texas woodland creating tree-lined corridor with dappled sunlight Old wooden bridge with weathered plank decking crossing creek with metal support beams and debris accumulation underneath

I got back on a paved farm-to-market road and soon Thorndale was close.

Texas highway view approaching road sign indicating distances to San Gabriel (6 miles) and Thorndale (12 miles) with scattered trees and ranch fencing

I finally made it to Thorndale Meat Market at about 10:00am, not too long after they opened.

Exterior of Thorndale Meat Market showing white metal building with large black signage, industrial grain elevator visible behind, customer vehicle parked in front

My timing was perfect, because I got to talk to Trey, the owner. He loaded me up with a bunch of stuff to try (you can read the review here).

Purchased beef jerky and dark cloth on wooden butcher block counter inside Thorndale Meat Market Styrofoam takeout container with assortment of smoked and barbecued meats including brisket, sausage links, and beef ribs with sauce container

I always love when I run into the owners of these small businesses and it was great talking to Trey. After our conversation, I hit the road for Taylor.

Highway driving view with vehicle ahead on divided road, trees lining both sides, and partly cloudy Texas sky

I soon arrived at the last meat shop I planned to visit that day, Taylor Meat Market.

Roadside sign for Taylor Meat Company showing USDA inspection certification, contact numbers, and changeable message board advertising Freezer Sale and Help Wanted

Their jerky was such in demand that they were out. I got some jalepeno dried sausage and red hot dogs instead (you can read the review here).

Hand holding bright red smoked sausage stick from Taylor Meat Company against black vehicle seat with red trim Vacuum-sealed package containing five dark red beef summer sausage sticks on wooden surface

I had visited all the places on my list and it was even before noon! Time to finish up at Wag-A-Bag with some gas and a car wash.

Rural Texas highway view with utility poles, American flag visible in distance, and overcast sky with flat agricultural landscape White Ford Fusion with Texas license plate JWH-5365 refueling at Shell V-Power gas pump at Wag-A-Bag convenience store View through rain-covered windshield from inside vehicle showing water droplets and wipers, with trees and parking lot visible through cleared section

This trip was a lot of fun and I did it in a Saturday morning. I came home and was stuffed from the sheer amount of protein I had consumed. I'm happy I was able to visit all the places on my list and now I know where I can get some good jerky!

If you want to read about the individual places I visited click the following links or map below.

See more blog entries here